Amelia Earhart's sad demise

Dozens heard Amelia Earhart's final, chilling pleas for help, researchers say

Distilled from 2 posts in the  Washington Post and the Web

Amelia Earhart waded into the Pacific Ocean and climbed into her downed and disabled Lockheed Electra. The famous aviator started the engine, turned on the two-way radio and sent out a plea for help, one more desperate than previous messages.

The high tide was getting higher, she had realised. Soon it would suck the plane into deeper water, cutting Earhart off from civilisation - and any chance of rescue.

Aviator Amelia Earhart's cries for help were heard by people who just happened to be listening to their radios at the right time.
Across the world, a 15-year-old girl listening to the radio in St Petersburg, Florida transcribed some of the desperate phrases she heard: "waters high," "water's knee deep - let me out" and "help us quick."
A  housewife in Toronto heard a shorter message, but it was no less dire: "We have taken in water . . . we can't hold on much longer."

On July 2, 1937, just after Earhart's plane disappeared, the US Navy put out an "all ships, all stations" bulletin.

That harrowing scene, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) believes, was probably one of the final moments of Earhart's life. The group put forth the theory in a paper that analyses radio distress calls heard in the days after Earhart disappeared.

In the summer of 1937, she had sought to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. Instead, TIGHAR's theory holds, she ended up marooned on a desert island, radioing for help.

Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, could only call for help when the tide was so low it wouldn't flood the engine, TIGHAR theorised. That limited their pleas for help to a few hours each night.

It wasn't enough, TIGHAR director Ric Gillespie told The Washington Post, and the pair died as castaways.

But those radio messages form a historical record - evidence that Gillespie says runs counter to the US Navy's official conclusion that Earhart and Noonan died shortly after crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

"These active versus silent periods and the fact that the message changes on July 5 and starts being worried about water and then is consistently worried about water after that - there's a story there," Gillespie said.

"We're feeding it to the public in bite-sized chunks. I'm hoping that people will smack their foreheads like I did."

Some of Earhart's final messages were heard by members of the military and others looking for Earhart, Gillespie said.

Others caught the attention of people who just happened to be listening to their radios when they stumbled across random pleas for help.

Almost all of those messages were discounted by the US Navy, which concluded that Earhart's plane went down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, then sank to the seabed.

Gillespie has been trying to debunk that finding for three decades. He believes that Earhart spent her final days on then-uninhabited Gardner Island.

She may have been injured, Noonan was probably worse, but the crash wasn't the end of them.

On July 2, 1937, just after Earhart's plane disappeared, the US Navy put out an "all ships, all stations" bulletin, TIGHAR wrote.Authorities asked anyone with a radio and a trained ear to listen in to the frequencies she had been using on her trip, 3105 and 6210 kilohertz.

It was not an easy task. The Electra's radio was designed to communicate only within a few hundred kilometres. The Pacific Ocean is much bigger. The searchers listening to Earhart's frequencies heard a carrier wave, which indicated that someone was speaking, but most heard nothing more than that.

Others heard what they interpreted to be a crude attempt at Morse code.But thanks to the scientific principle of harmonics, TIGHAR says, others heard much more.

In addition to the primary frequencies, "the transmitter also put out 'harmonics (multiples)' of those wavelengths," the paper says. "High harmonic frequencies 'skip' off the ionosphere and can carry great distances, but clear reception is unpredictable."

That means Earhart's cries for help were heard by people who just happened to be listening to their radios at the right time.

According to TIGHAR's paper:

"Scattered across North America and unknown to each other, each listener was astonished to suddenly hear Amelia Earhart pleading for help. They alerted family members, local authorities or local newspapers. Some were investigated by government authorities and found to be believable. Others were dismissed at the time and only recognised many years later.

Although few in number, the harmonic receptions provide an important glimpse into the desperate scene that played out on the reef at Gardner Island."

The tide probably forced Earhart and Noonan to hold to a schedule. Seek shelter, shade and food during the sweltering day, then venture out to the craft at low tide, to try the radio again.

Back in the United States, people heard things, tidbits that pointed at trouble.

On July 3, for example, Nina Paxton, an Ashland, Kentucky, woman, said she heard Earhart say "KHAQQ calling," and say she was "on or near little island at a point near" . . . "then she said something about a storm and that the wind was blowing....Will (or We'll ) have to get out of here," she says at one point. "We can't stay here long."

What happened to Earhart after that has vexed the world for nearly 81 years, and TIGHAR is not the only group to try to explain the mystery. Gillespie is just one member of competing researchers who have dedicated their time and resources to one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

Mike Campbell, a retired journalist who wrote Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, insists along with others that Earhart and Noonan were captured in the Marshall Islands by the Japanese, who thought they were American spies, and died in Japanese custody after being tortured.

Elgen Long, a Navy combat veteran and an expert on Earhart's disappearance, wrote a book saying her plane crashed into the Pacific and sank.

Gillespie said he believes that evidence supporting his Gardner Island theory is adding up.

He believes that the messages sent out over those six days were by Earhart and, occasionally, Noonan. He believes that bones found on Gardner island in 1940 belonged to Earhart, but were misidentified and discarded.

He believes that Amelia Earhart died marooned on an island after her plane was sucked into the Pacific Ocean. But he realises that the public needs more than his tide tables and extrapolations from data that predates World War II.

"We're up against a public that wants a smoking gun," he told The Post.

"We know the public wants, demands, something simple. And we're also very much aware that we live in a time of rampant science denial. Nobody does nuance anymore."

Bones discovered on a Pacific island in Kiribati 'belong to Amelia Earhart'

Amelia Earhart's story is revolutionary: She was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, and might have been the first to fly around the world had her plane not vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. After decades of mystery surrounding her disappearance, her story might come to a close.

A scientific study claims that bones found in 1940 on the Pacific Island of Nikumaroro belong to Earhart, despite a forensic analysis of the remains conducted in 1941 that linked the bones to a male.
The bones, revisited in the study Amelia Earhart and the Nikumaroro Bones by University of Tennessee professor Richard Jantz, were discarded. For decades they have remained an enigma, as some have speculated that Earhart died a castaway on the island after her plane crashed.

Nikumaroro, or Gardner Island, is part of the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati in the western Pacific Ocean.

The bones were uncovered by a British expedition exploring the island for settlement after they came upon a human skull, according to the study. The expedition's officer ordered a more thorough search of the area, which resulted in the discovery of several other bones and part of what appeared to be a woman's shoe. Other items found included a box made to hold a Brandis Navy Surveying Sextant that had been manufactured around 1918 and a bottle of Benedictine, an herbal liqueur.
"There was suspicion at the time that the bones could be the remains of Amelia Earhart," Jantaz wrote in the study.

When the 13 bones were shipped to Fiji and studied by Dr D W Hoodless of the Central Medical School the following year, Jantz argues that it is likely that forensic osteology - the study of bones - was still in its early stages, which therefore affected his assessment of which sex the remains belonged to. Jantz, in attempting to compare the lost bones with Earhart's bones, co-developed a computer program that estimated sex and ancestry using skeletal measurements. The program, Fordisc, is commonly used by forensic anthropologists across the globe.

Jantz compared the lengths of the bones to Earhart's measurements, using her height, weight, body build, limb lengths and proportions, based on photographs and information found on her pilot's and driver's licenses. His findings revealed that Earhart's bones were "more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99  of individuals in a large reference sample."

"In the case of the Nikumaroro bones, the only documented person to whom they may belong is Amelia Earhart," Jantz wrote in the study.

Earhart's disappearance has long captivated the public, and theories involving her landing on Nikumaroro have emerged in recent years. Retired journalist Mike Campbell, who authored Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, has maintained with others that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were captured in the Marshall Islands by the Japanese, who thought they were American spies. He believes they were tortured and died in custody.

But Ric Gillespie, director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) spoke to The Washington Post's Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in 2016 about how he too believes the bones found on Nikumaroro belong to Earhart.

In 1998, the group took Hoodless' measurements of the Nikumaroro bones and analysed them through a robust anthropological database. They determined the bones belonged to a taller-than-average woman of European descent - perhaps Earhart, who at 5 feet 7 (170cm) to 5 feet 8 (172.7cm), was several inches taller than the average woman.

In 2016, the group brought the measurements to Jeff Glickman, a forensic examiner, who located a photo of Earhart from Lockheed Aircraft that showed her with her arms exposed. It appeared, based on educated guesses, that Earhart's upper arm bone corresponded with one of the Nikumaroro bones.

Glickman, who is now a member of TIGHAR, told The Washington Post at the time that he understands some might be skeptical about his findings, as they were based 76-year-old medical notes. But the research made clear, he said, that Earhart died on Nikumaroro.

Junker JU 52 Crashes in Swiss Alps

A Junker Ju 52, affectionately known as "Tante Ju" (Aunty Ju) by German troops in WW2, has crashed in Switzerland

The Wreckage of HB-HOT near Flims

HB-HOT in happier days

The 79 year old 3-engined World War II transport workhorse plane crashed in the Swiss Alps in early Augist 2018 while on a sightseeing tour, killing all 20 people on board.

The German-built Junkers Ju-52 (HB-HOT) was carrying 17 passengers, all Swiss except for an Austrian couple and their son, the Swiss authorities said. Three crew members were also killed in the crash on Saturday.

The plane was on an Alpine sightseeing tour from Locarno, in the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland, to Dübendorf, an airport near Zurich, when it crashed into the mountainside near the ski resort of Flims, in eastern Switzerland.

An investigation was underway, but explosion on board and in-flight collision as the cause of the crash has already been ruled out.

The Junkers plane struck the Piz Segnas Mountain at an altitude of about 8,000 feet. It plunged down “almost vertically, at high speed,” Daniel Knecht, a spokesman for the Swiss transport safety investigation board, said at a news conference on Sunday 5 August.

The plane was operated by Ju-Air, a Swiss vntage aircraft company that offers tours in  the former Swiss military aircraft. The Ju-52, also known as “Aunty Ju,” was developed by Junkers, a German plane manufacturer in the 1930s, initially with a single engine but then as a three-engine aircraft.The company operates several Vintage Ju 52s. It was a popular airliner and postal aircraft before the war, and used widely.

The aircraft were used by the Luftwaffe during World World II as both transport and bomber. It first came into military use during the Spanish Civil War, notably as part of the German-led bombing of the Basque town of Guernica in 1937, which was later immortalized by Pablo Picasso in his famous painting, Guernica Night.

During World War II, the Germans used the plane mostly as a transport, serving on all fronts, including Russia and North Africa. The Swiss Air Force decommissioned its last three Ju-52 planes in 1982, which were then taken over by a group of Swiss vintage aircraft enthusiasts.

Kurt Waldmeier, a former pilot and the president of Ju-Air, called it “the most tragic day in the history” of his company, but said it was too early to draw conclusions about what had caused the crash. “Nobody has more interest than Ju-Air in clarifying the events, so that such an accident can never occur again,” he said.

Waldmeier told a news conference  that the plane, built in 1939, had flown more than 10,000 hours and had been regularly checked because of its age. The last inspection was in late July, and the aircraft had no history of technical problems, he said. The plane was navigated by using sight and maps rather than modern instruments. All three members of the crew had more than 30 years of professional experience.

The 62-year-old captain, who was not immediately named, had spent three decades as a commercial pilot for the national carrier, Swissair, and its successor, Swiss. He had been flying the Ju-52 regularly since 2004.

Rescue teams and investigators, with the support of helicopters, were sifting through the debris on Sunday. In recent days, Switzerland has been hit by a heat wave that has pushed daytime temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

While flight specialists told Swiss news outlets that intense heat could make it more difficult to fly such an aircraft, they said it was too early to suggest that high temperature played any part in the crash.

(Copyright notice: Original article from The Times, photograph from the net. Happy to attribute (or remove) where not clearly marked to identify comyright material. No infringement intended, simply a aircraft fan blog)

Russian Mi-28 Helicopter Crashes during Airshow Display

Mi 28 Helicopter Crashes during Airshow

A Russian military helicopter has crashed at an air show before thousands of spectators, killing one crew member and injuring another.

Video footage clearly show the tail rotor failing and the gunship starting to spin uncontrollably before hitting the ground in an uncontrolled crash-landing:

The commander of the Mi-28 helicopter was killed. The he aircraft crashed during an aerobatic display at the August 2 air show in the Russian region of Ryazan, 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

"The commander has died, the second pilot is alive. According to the second pilot, equipment failure caused the accident," the head of the Russian Air Forces, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

The air show, Aviadarts, featured Russian Air Force plane and helicopter crews competing to fulfill timed assignments.

No spectators were injured, and the event was suspended for the day following the accident.

Russia's air force has used the Soviet-designed Mi-28 since the mid-2000s, and the aircraft is also exported to numerous countries, including Iraq.

Bondarev has grounded the country's Mi-28 fleet pending an investigation. The surviving crewmember who ejected, reports that hydraulic failure was to blame. This is the 4th crash of an Mi-28 due to hydraulic or gearbox failure.

There have been at least six incidents over the past few weeks involving Russian military planes and helicopters

20 Injured in SAA Turbulence incident: Global warming causing worse turbulence

Turbulence incident: Global warming causing worse turbulence ? 

Severe turbulence struck a South African Airways plane that was heading to Hong Kong, injuring 20 people before the aircraft landed safely on Wednesday, the airline said.

Medics were waiting at the Hong Kong airport to assist passengers on SA286, which had departed Johannesburg on Tuesday, the airline said in a statement.

Television footage showed rescue workers wheeling one injured passenger on a stretcher.

Three crewmembers and 17 passengers were injured, airline spokesman Tlali Tlali said.

The Hong Kong fire department said two people were critically injured. The victims were taken to three hospitals.

SAA Airbus 340-300

The airline said 165 passengers were on the Airbus 340-300 when the turbulence hit the aircraft as it flew over Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital

Last year in a similar incident about two dozen people on two flights were injured when their aircraft hit turbulence before landing at Hong Kong's airport.

Thai Airways said 20 people were hurt when an Airbus A38-800 carrying 500 passengers, two pilots and 24 cabin crew from Bangkok encountered "unforeseen turbulence" as it was descending to Hong Kong's airport.

The airline said passengers and cabin crew suffered injuries but the plane landed safely. 39 were reported injured but the airline later revised the number to 20. Kung says the injured were sent to three hospitals in the southern Chinese city.

Hong Kong Airlines reported three passengers and three flight attendants were hurt when their flight from Phuket hit "sudden turbulence" as it neared the city's airport. The airline said the plane landed safely and the six have left hospital. The plane was carrying 110 passengers and seven crew.

Clear air turbulence:

The most insidious kind of turbulence, clear-air turbulence, is invisible, comes without warning and occurs any time during a flight. One of the main culprits of clear-air turbulence is the boundary between the jet stream—that aerial river that forms where arctic air masses meet warmer air from the south—and the slower-moving air adjacent to it. This invisible boundary shifts unpredictably, and woe to any unstrapped passenger in a jet that crosses it. "If you're flying in clear air, you have no indication at all. If an aircraft has passed through the area ahead of your airplane, your pilot might get an advance warning of turbulence ahead. "But if you're an early morning flight and you're going through an area first, you're going to be 'Probe One.'" 

Even the worst turbulence is no cause for alarm—by itself. I don't think an airplane has ever broken up in flight because of turbulence. All planes are built to withstand much more than even a severe turbulent event."

Which makes passenger safety when an airplane hits turbulence—especially without warning—primarily the responsibility of the passengers themselves. That means buckling your seat belt, just as the pilots and stewardesses recommend, anytime you're seated. Air travelers should not get complacent. The best thing to do is to not loiter around in the aisles of the airplane," he says. "Do what you need to do, then get back to your seat and put on your seatbelt. You're still hurdling through the air at 500 miles an hour; things can happen. in 2005 an Air Korea jet fell 100 m in clear air turbulence, causing significant injury. Passengers and objects effectively become airborne, and go into free-fall until they hit something.

There has also been an unprecedented increase in turbulence involving aircraft in Australia.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said turbulence doubled over the three-month period between October to December 2013, compared to the previous three months, significantly above the five year historical average.

Turbulence is the leading cause of in-flight injuries and an increase directly affects the safety of cabin passengers.

But the ATSB could not speculate as to why it was happening, according to Dr Stuart Godley head of the ATSB's Aviation Research Team.

"During the last five years there has been an increase in reporting, particularly from cabin crew, about an increase in turbulence, but we don't know why this is occurring," he said.

"Because they are weather-related, these events are cyclical.

"We're used to seeing more of them in summer, but this increase is unprecedented."

Turbulence is caused by the irregular movement of air and often cannot be seen.

When air masses with different speeds, direction or temperatures meet each other, turbulence is likely to occur.

While turbulence is normal and occurs frequently, it can be dangerous - especially for passengers not wearing seat belts or carrying unsecured items.

That was the case for one passenger in November 2013 who sustained a serious head injury from a laptop computer that fell from an overhead locker during a turbulent flight to Sydney.

Another passenger was injured after being struck by an iPad. Passengers not wearing seat belts are more likely to be seriously injured when turbulence hits.

"Serious head injuries can be sustained when a person hits the overhead panel where luggage is stored because they did not wear a seat belt," he said.

"Cabin crew have had legs broken from walking around the cabin when turbulence hit," he said.

Clear air turbulence (CAT) can pose a great amount of danger as it cannot be detected and hit any time, which is exactly what happened when cabin crew were commencing a meal service during a flight from Cairns to Tokyo in 1996.

Passengers, crew and meal trolleys hit the ceiling of the aircraft and landed heavily, seriously injuring passengers who were not belted up. Bone fractures, lacerations, neck and back strains, dislocated shoulders and shattered teeth were reported. Four were admitted to hospital.

While nothing that extreme has been reported during the recent bout of increased turbulence, Godley warns passengers to keep their seat belts on in the off-chance it should happen. Some areas of Australia are more prone to turbulence and Sydney has been a common spot for it to occur over the last summer, Godley said. "122 incidences of turbulence were recorded, 35 of which occurred on flights in to and out of Sydney, which seems to be a hot-spot for turbulence," he said. "Brisbane and the Gold Coast is another area which experiences a high amount."

Global warming to blame?

New research has found global warming is likely to double the chances of plane turbulence in the coming decades.

According to a study from the University of Reading and the University of East Anglia, atmospheric changes could lead to the amount of turbulent air patterns that affect planes doubling, and for the intensity to get stronger by the middle of this century.

Dr Paul Williams, who headed the research, said global warming would have a significant impact on the aviation industry. "Air turbulence does more than just interrupt the service of in-flight drinks. It injures hundreds of passengers and aircrew every year - sometimes fatally.

"It also causes delays and damages planes. The total cost to society is about US$150 million (NZ$177 million) each year." Researchers used supercomputer simulations to analyse jet streams over the North Atlantic Ocean.

Dr Manoj Joshi, from East Anglia, said they focused on looking at turbulence in its peak periods. "Our research focused on clear-air turbulence in winter. This is especially problematic to airliners, because clear-air turbulence is invisible to pilots and satellites, and winter is when it peaks."

It found the chances of encountering significant turbulence would increase by between 40 per cent and 170 per cent, but most likely double, and the intensity by anywhere between 10 and 40 per cent.

Williams said any increase in turbulence would make flying more uncomfortable and increase the risk to passengers and crew. Airlines would also be forced to re-rout some flights to avoid stronger patches of turbulence, which would lead to greater fuel consumption and emissions of atmospheric pollutants, make delays at airports more common, and ultimately push up ticket prices.

The research showed the atmosphere was becoming more vulnerable and unstable, and Williams said the aviation industry was partly to blame for that.

What is turbulence ? Turbulence explained in a previous blog (click link)

US Marine Harrier Crashes near Top Gun Naval Airbase (Miramar)

Harrier Crash in California

IMPERIAL, California. - A military fighter jet has crashed in flames in an Imperial, Calif., neighborhood, according to Miramar Naval Air Station.

Officials said the Harrier pilot ejected and landed safely and that although the plane hit houses, there were no casualties on the ground. Three houses have reportedly been destroyed.

"I was pretty close to it," said witness Shaun Penniman, who was out running with his dog when the aircraft went down. "I heard like a pop and a whistle. And right when I looked up is when I saw the pilot eject."

"It felt like a bomb was thrown in the backyard of the house," said Adriana Ramos, 45, whose home is less than a block from the crash scene. "The whole house moved."

Ramos fled with her 4-year-old granddaughter and 10-year-old daughter, who both cried at the sight outside.

Another witness, Jose Santos, was driving nearby and saw the plane flying "really low." Then "it just fell down," he said.

Santos sped toward the crash site. On the way, he saw the pilot who had parachuted to the ground.

"He didn't look like he was injured. He was rolling from side to side," and a police officer and others were helping him, Santos said.

According to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the aircraft was a Third Marine Aircraft Wing AV-8B Harrier that was stationed out of Yuma. The plane went down around 4:20 p.m., local time.

Photos from the scene show a large fire after the crash.

 

This was the second crash in a month of a Harrier jet from the Yuma air base. On May 9, a pilot was able to eject safely before his jet crashed in a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian Community, south of Phoenix. No one was injured.

Dakota Part 4: The SAAF Experience II: 2012 Drakensberg crash

C-47 Dakota in SAAF Service II: Losses and Attrition

The list below is of Douglas C-47 aircraft that have seen service with the South African Air Force

On 5 December 2012, a Douglas C-47TP "Dakota" 6840 of the SAAF crashed in the Drakensburg Mountains, KwaZulu Natal, killing all eleven people on board.

6840 in Silver Falcon Livery (35 Sq) Photo Bouwer

(Phots IOL)

 The aircraft involved was Douglas C-47TP 6840, c/n 13866. It had been built in 1943 as 43-48050 for the United States Army Air Forces and was transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1944 as KG767 before being immediately transferred to the South African Air Force as 6840. In the early 1990s, the aircraft was modified with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A turboprop engines and a fuselage extension. Based at AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town, it was mainly used in the maritime patrol role but also acted as a support aircraft for the Silver Falcons display team.

The aircraft was on a flight from AFB Waterkloof to Mthatha Airport when it crashed near Giant's Castle in the Drakensburg Mountains, killing all on board. Shortly before the crash at 09:45 hours South African Standard Time (07:45 UTC), the crew reported that they were flying on instruments at 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in instrument meteorological conditions. There were six crew and five passengers.
An inquiry into the accident was still pending at the time of writing.

List of SAAF Dakotas: sorted by serial numbers

Serial model c/n Delivery date (ex-USAF or ex-RAF) Civilian reg and fate if known

6801 C-47A 9492 21.06.43 42-23630 FD574 to SAA ZS-DJB Simonsberg reverted to 6889
6802 C-47A 9628 02.07.43 42-23766 FD906 to ZS-DDV G-AJXL G-AMGD VP-YTT ZS-EKK 3D-AAV ZS-IWL ET-AIA
6803 C-47A 9629 29.07.43 42-23767 FD907 to ZS-DER XY-ACR w/o 24.05.69
6804 C-47A 9630 29.07.43 42-23768 FD908 to SAA ZS-AVI Mount Anderson w/o Carolina 15.09.52
6805 C-47A 9877 17.02.45 42-24015 FD956 to ZS-DDR XY-ACS w/o 10.06.63
6806 C-47A 9878 15.08.43 42-24016 FD957 to G-ALCB AP-ADH G-ALCB
6807 C-47A 9879 15.08.43 42-24017 FD958 crashed Lake Victoria 11.05.45
6808 C-47a 10106 27.09.43 42-24244 FL523 to G-ALCC 5B-CBE 5B-CAW
6809 C-47A 10104 17.09.43 42-24242 FL521 crashed north of Broken Hill w/o  28.09.45
6810 C-47A 10105 03.10.43 42-24243 FL522 to ZS-DEF G-AMFV
6811 C-47ATP 11986 16.12.43 42-92211 FL579 Snake Valley  - sold
6812 C-47A 11987 03.01.44 42-92212 FL580 crashed Kisumu w/o 11.07.45
6813 C-47A 11989 14.12.43 42-92213 FL581 to ZS-DJK VP-YSY ZS-DJK A2-ADB Z-WRJ
6814 C-47ATP 11990 16.12.43 42-92214 FK582 35 Squadron as maritime
6815 C-47A 12016  03.01.44 42-92238 FL606 to ZS-AVJ Crashed East Griqualand w/0 15.10.51
6816 C-47A 12112 25.01.44 42-92324 FZ576 w/o 06.05.94
6817 C-47A 12159 25.01.44 42-92366 FZ604 to G-ALCA AP-ABW CF-GXE w/o 12.04.61
6818 C-47A 11979 18.01.44 42-92204 FL572 to ZS-DHO G-ANLF F-OAOR G-ANLF OO-SBH w/o 28.03.69



photo Athol Franz (SAAF DAK's 75th Anniversary)

6819 C-47A 12166 07.02.44 42-92373 FZ611 to ZS-BXI Elandskop VP-KNU ZS-BXI to 6886
6820 C-47ATP 12115 13.02.44 42-92327 FZ580 sold as N192RD 15.07.98
6821 C-47A 12107 31.01.44 42-92320 FZ572 to ZS-BXF Klapperkop later Vasberade to 6888
6822 C-47A 12049 07.02.44 42-92267 FL625 to ZS-BXG Piketberg to 6887
6823 C-47A 12073 31.01.44 42-92289 FL645 to ZS-DEO XY-ACN ET-AGV N9700N 5Y-BFO ZS-XXX ZS-MFY
6824 C-47A 12055 21.01.44 42-92273 FL630 to ZS-DES CF-GOR N800KC CF-KZO CF-PQG w/o 16.03.65
6825 C-47ATP 12160 27.02.44 42-92367 FZ605 35 Squadron as maritime
6826 C-47A 12161 27.02.44 42-92368 FZ606 to ZS-DFN KA-DFN w/o 06.12.61
6827 C-47A 12158 12.03.44 42-10883 FZ603 to ZS-DDZ G-ALPN
6828 C-47ATP 12415 12.03.44 42-92597 KG385 cur (EW) 35 Squadron
6829 C-47A 12413 12.03.44 42-92595 KG383 to SAA as ZS-BXI 11.12.95
6830 C-47A 12414 31.03.44 42-92596 KG384 to ZS-BYI (NTU) ZS-DFB w/o 27.07.52
6831 C-47A 12595 17.04.44 42-92759 KG483 to ZS-BXZ (NTU)
6832 C-47A 12478 08.04.44 42-10886 KG443 to SAAF Museum Ysterplaat
6833 C-47A 12579 08.04.44 42-92744 KG467 to ZS-BYH XY-ACQ w/o 02.09.55
6834 C-47ATP 12590 08.04.44 42-92754 KG478 sold to ZS-OSO National Test Pilot School (NTPS) in Cape Town 09.05.01, then N834TP

6840 in happier days

6835 (1) C-47A 12596 15.05.44 42-92760 KG484 to ZS-DJX to 6885
6835 (2) C-47TP 20175 0.77 43-15709 LR-AAB OD-AAB F-OCEN D6-ECB sold as N145RD 15.12.97
6836 C-47A 13018 01.05.44 42-10891 KG535 to VP-YPB CR-AFR FAP6167 s d Mozambique 1968
6837 C-47ATP 13539 05.07.44 42-93608 KG672 35 Squadron - maritime
6838 C-47A 13541 23.07.44 42-93610 KG674 to ZS-CAI, sold as ZS-CAI
6839 C-47ATP 13540 03.07.44 42-93609 KG673 to ZS-MRS, reverted to 6839 10.95, cur Snake Valley to go to 35 Squadron as transport
6840 C-47ATP 13866/25311 11.08.44 43-48050 KG767, crash Drakensberg, 5.12.2012, 11 deceased
6841 C-47A 13867/25312 11.08.44 43-48051 KG768 to RRAF703 VP-YZB R7303
6842 C-47A 13865/25310 12.08.42 43-48049 KG766 to SRAF 25 RRAF25 RRAF157 RRAF702 VP-YZA R3702 w/o 31.05.77
6843 C-47B 14164/25609 15.09.44 43-48348 KJ825 crashed south of Bloemfontein 21.09.87
6844 C-47BTP 14165/25610 15.09.44 43-48349 KJ826 sold to Professional Aviation to ZS-OJK 11.99
6845 (1) C-47B 14669/26114 21.10.44 43-48853 KJ940 crashed Tabora 16.02.45
6845 (2) C-47TP 14642/26087 .08.79 43-48826 KJ919 G-AMSI ZS-DHW VP-YSL A2-ZEO ZS-DHW A2-ZEO cur 35 Squadron to be sold
6846 (1) C-47B 14671/26116 07.11.44 43-48855 KJ942 crashed Rand Airport 16.07.53
6846 (2) C-47TP 16386/33134 0.81 44-76802 NZ3542 ZK-AQU D6-CAH sold as N8241T 14.07.98
6847 C-47B 14670/26115 21.11.44 43-48854 KJ941 w/o near Pretoria 08.07.45
6848 C-47B 14993/26438 21.11.44 43-49177 KJ999 For sale 13.01.95 Sold as ZS-NTD
6849 C-47B 14994/26439 21.12.44 43-49178 KK100 to ZS-DKP VP-YSP A2-ZEP ZS-IPX A2-AAA ZS-IPX to SAAF 6892
6850 (1) C-47B 15301/26746 21.12.44 43-49485 KK162 crashed near Swartkop 04.08.72
6850 (2) C-47 15654/27099 .08.75 43-49838 KN231 G-AMZW SN-AAH ST-AAH to SAAF Museum as static display, to Caesars Casino (Emperors Palace) Jhb .04.00, to South African National Museum of Military History

6850 at SA Military Museum, HS Buccaneer to the left (J. Austin-Williams)

6851 C-47B 15300/26745 21.01.45 43-49484 KK161 crashed in SWA Namibia 25.03.80
6852 C-47BTP 15557/27002 18.03.45 43-49741 KK220 cur 35 Squadron as maritime
6853 C-47BTP 15754/27199 09.03.45 43-49938 KN267 sold as N148RD 19.12.97
6854 C-47BTP 15887/32635 09.03.45 44-76303 KN327 cur Snake Valley to go to 35 Squadron as maritime
6855 (1) C-47B 16189/32937 15.04.45 44-76605 KN464 to ZS-DJC Mount Prospect crashed Katberg 06.03.62
6855 (2) C-47TP 16213/32961 .08.79 44-76629 KN483 ZS-DIV VP-YSN A2-ZEN ZS-DIV A2-ZEN sold as N8194Q 14.07.98
6856 C-47B 16625/33373 28.06.45 44-77041 KN669 crashed near Bizana 10.02.61
6857 C-47BTP 16627/33375 28.06.45 44-77043 KN670 sold as N193RD 8.07.98
6858 (1) C-47B 16628/33376 28.06.45 44-77044 KN671 crashed near Lyttelton 26.02.48
6858 (2) C-47TP 16149/32897 0.81 44-76565 NZ3538 ZK-AQP D6-CAF sold as N146RD 11.12.97
6859 C-47A 12586 27.09.45 42-92751 KG474 to SAAF Museum Swartkop 24.09.94, cur, flown by Historic Flight
6860 C-47A 12000(11899) 28.09.45 42-92223 FL591 to ZS-DBZ TF-FIS G-ALTT ET-ABI w/o 14.09.65
6861 C-47B 14494/25939 27.09.45 43-48678 KJ980 to RRAF706 VP-YZE R3706
6862 C-47A 10110 .09.45 42-24248 FL527 sold as ZS-NZA 31.08.96 to 9Q-CJJ
6863 (1) C-47B 16198/32946 27.09.45 44-76614 KN471 to RRAF707 VP-YZF R3707 R7307 w/o 21.07.75
6863 (2) C-47TP 16565/33313 0.81 44-76981 NZ3546 ZK-AWQ D6-CAG Sold as N81907 14.07.98
6864 C-47ATP 12580 28.09.45 42-92745 KG468 wfu Ysterplaat 2ASU to Bokrivier Military Training Facility 21.07.08
6865 (1) C-47B 15555/27000 12.01.45 43-49739 KK218 to ZS-DIY G-ANYF CF-HTH dbr 06.02.73
6865 (2) C-47BTP 16730/33478 0.81 44-77146 NZ3547 ZK-AZM D6-CAD sold as N8190X 14.07.98
6866 C-47A 12090 04.09.45 42-92304 FZ555 to ZS-DBL ZS-DCA G-ANNT F-OAPH ZS-DCA VP-YSK ZS-DCA
6867 C-47A 9836 03.10.45 42-23974 FD938 to RAF with temp reg ZS-NJE 5.94, became G-BVOL PH-TCB
6868 C-47BTP 16200/32948 08.10.45 44-76616 KN472 sold as N194RD 15.07.98
6869 C-47A 11911 06.10.45 42-92143 FL551 to G-ALCB 20.07.48
6870 (1) C-47B 15298/26743 06.10.45 43-49482 KK159 to ZS-DIZ 49482 FrAF F-SDKB F-BTDA EC-CAR F-BRQG

6845 served as a roadhouse for a while, then restored to fly again  in South America

6870 (2) C-47TP 16463/33211 .06.79 44-76879 KN581 VP-KJS 5X-AAR 7Q-YKN ZS-EYN
6871 (1) C-47A 11991 03.10.45 42-92215 FL583 to ZS-DIW
6871 (2) C-47TP 16965/34225 0.81 45-962 N NZ3553 ZK-ERI D6-CAE to ZS-LJI cur
6872 C-47A 9539 04.10.65 42-23677 FD887 sold (NFD)
6873 C-47A 11926 .10.45 42-92157 FL565 sold as ZS-NTE
6874 (1) C-47B 15903/32651 04.10.45 44-76319 KN337 to RRAF709 VP-YZH R7039
6874 (2) C-47TP 16077/32825 .08.80 44-76493 KN402 VP-KJP 5Y-AAD 9J-RGY sold as N81952 14.07.98
6875 (1) C-47A 12065 28.09.45 42-92282 FL638 destroyed by fire on ground at Rand Airport 03.07.64
6875 (2) C-53DTP 11746 0.81 42-68819 SE-APG N8071Z 9Q-CYI cur 35 Squadron as VIP transport, to be sold
6876 C-47ATP 12582 28.09.45 42-92747 KG470 sold as N81949 17.07.98
6877 C-47ATP 11925 01.10.45 42-92156 FL564 cur 35 Squadron as transport
6878 C-47B 16203/32951 28.09.45 44-76619 KN474 burnt out Rand Airport 24.05.81
6879 C-47ATP 9766 28.09.45 42-23904 FD933 to ZS-MRR, reverted to 6879 10.95, sold as N147RD 11.12.97
6880 (1) C-47A 9948 28.09.45 42-24086 FD962 to ZS-CCG CR-AHB FAP6176 C9-AHB
6880 (2) C-47TP 14101/25546 12.04.80 43-48285 348285 FrAF F-BTDE YU-ABV N8071Y N3701Y TN-ADT sold as N330RD 14.04.00
6881 C-47B 16213/32961 06.10.45 44-76629 KN483 to ZS-DIV VP-YSN A2-ZEN ZS-DIV A2-ZEN to SAAF 6855 (2)

6891 (P. Wonfor)

6882 C-47B 15896/32644 03.10.45 44-76312 KN334 sold to NTPS as ZS-MAP
6883 C-47B 14495/25940 07.10.45 43-48679 KJ909 crashed Swartkop 25.06.46
6884 C-47ATP 12064 .09.45 42-92281 FL637 wfu Ysterplaat 2ASU to Bokrivier Military Training Facility 6.07.08
6885 C-47ATP 12596 08.02.71 42-92760 KG484 6835 ZS-DJX cur 35 Squadron as maritime
6886 C-47ATP 12166 08.02.71 42-92373 FZ611 6819 ZS-BXI Sold as N8194Z 14.07.98
6887 (1) C-47A 12049 08.02.71 42-92267 FL625 6822 ZS-BXG to RhAF as R3711 w/o 18.12.80
6887 (2) C-47ATP 12704 .09.81 42-92857 SP-LCB OY-AIC 42-92857 N8071X TN-ADS cur as 35 Squadron as transport
6888 C-47A 12107 08.02.71 42-92320 FZ572 6821 ZS-BXF to SAA as ZS-BXF 04.07.91, damaged in f landing 21.11.03. Repaired. Current SAA Museum Society
6889 C-47A 9492 08.02.71 42-23630 FD874 6801 ZS-DJB to RhAF as R7312 w/o 10.07.86
6890 C-47TP 16804/33552 0.77 44-77220 KP250 44-77220 GA+111 AS+586 GR+110 XA+116 14+11 N90904 sold as N149RD 19.12.97
6891 C-47TP 16276/33024 0.77 44-76692 KN499 0-476692 GA+112 GR+104 ND+201 XA+120 14+03 N90905 sold as N198RD 14.04.00
6892 C-47TP 14994/26439 0.78 43-49178 KK100 6849 ZS-DKP VP-YSP A2-ZEP ZS-IPX A2-AAA ZS-IPX sold as N195RD 8.07.98 to ZS-OJI 03.01.99

Losses (by serial numbers)
Aircraft Date
6807 11.05.45 Crew not known, A/Sgt W Anderson (k), L/Cpl W Upton (k) SA Army
6809 28.09.45 Capt JS Sandilands (s), Lt HC Read (s), F/Sgt WM Scott (s), Sgt RT Stewart (s) Passengers: Pte BJ Schoombie (k), Pte JN Schoombie (k), Tpr HLJ Roux (k), Tpr JE De Bruyn (k), Lt DC Armstrong (k), Pte HB Stoop (k), Lt SA Darier (k), WO2 GG Maritz (k) SAAF, Pte BS Scheepers (k), Cpl CJ Uys (s), Lt-Col H Klein (s), Cpl J van Rensburg (s), Pte H Smith (s), Sig W Barry (s), Pte A Grobbelaar (s), WO1 HW Steel (s), Lt A Maxwell (s), Maj B Harris (s), Pte R Hincks (s), Sapper A Benade (s), Cpl JM Robinson (s), Pte HJ Potgieter (s), Sapper CJ Lourens (s), Pte EW Gottschalk (s)
6812 11.07.45 Lt JA Hoffe (k), Lt Q Neuper (k), A/Sgt MPW Bezuidenhout (k), A/Sgt CLD Kemp (k), (24 pax killed)
6816 06.05.94 Capt M Huson (s), Lt J dos Santos (s)
6840 .5.12.2012 Crew members: Major K Misrole (k) Captain ZM Smith, Sergeant BK Baloyi., Sergeant E Boes, Sergeant JM Mamabolo, Corporal L Mofokeng, Passengers:Sergeant L Sobantu, Corporal NW Khomo,Corporal A Matlaila,Corporal MJ Mthombeni,Lance Corporal NK Aphane
6843 21.09.87 Maj J Branders (s), Capt B de Villiers (s) (11 illed)
6845 16.02.45 Tabora
6846 16.07.53 Lt BP Jonsson (s), Lt MB Borcherds (s)
6847 08.07.45 Lt IL Christianson (s), A/Sgt LJ Wallace (k), A/Sgt C Johnson (s), A/Cpl LK Kairuz (s)
6851 25.03.80 Lt JH Leeuw (k), Lt CJ Wessels (k), CO (Miss) ES Swart (k)
6856 10.02.61 Capt FK Siebrits (k), Lt AJA Heyns (k), A/Sgt LF Meise (k), LAM DH Nel (k), LAM JE Serfontein (k)
6878 24.05.81 Hangar fire
6883 25.06.46 Swartkop
6850 (1) 04.08.72 Capt PJ Steenkamp (s), Lt L Webb (s)
6858 (1) 26.02.48 Lt JF Breytenbach (s), Lt WC Botha (s), Lt BJ Grove (s), A/M MB de Meillon (k) (SAAF Tech on the ground)
6875 (1) 03.07.64 Destroyed by fire
FZ574 19.09.44 Lt KCG Wyness (s) engine cut, belly-landed on approach Maison Blanche 19.09.44
KG471 04.09.44 Capt KL O’Leary (s) crashed in forced landing Delabole, Cornwall 04.09.44
KG498 21.12.44 Lt GP Cronin (k), Lt CJ Jooste (k), Lt PS Moore (k), A/Cpl HV Kilburn (k) flew into hill at night 10m SSW of Torretoria Italy 21.12.44. Tyre burst on t/off, stalled, crashed Maison Blanche 15.03.45
KG525 15.03.45
KG690 31.07.44 Lt CJK Schutte (k), Lt JHS Glenny (k), Lt GC Pennington (k), A/Cpl R Hosner (k), A/Cpl RB Boraine (k) flew into cliffs on high ground, in cloud, Salalah, Aden 31.07.44
KG710 13.12.44 Capt AR Oldridge (k), Lt NS Campbell (k), Lt J Zurschmiede (k), A/Cpl CA Kalis (k). Missing between Bari and Hassani 13.12.44.
KN332 19.04.45 Lt HN Greenberg (k), Lt AF Smith (k), Lt LC Loram (k), A/Cpl T Griffiths (k), + 3 pax killed. Flew into hill descending in cloud near Vitrolles France 19.04.45 dbf
RAF Dak 16.07.44 Capt HW Solms (k)

SAAF 6828, Electronic Warfare

Photograph: Gary Shephard LightSketch Photography

Post WW2 Attrition summary:

• 5 December 2012 6840 Drakensberg, KwaZulu Natal, 11 killed 
• 20 Sep 1987  6843 South of Bloemfontein In-flight engine fire and crash landed in field along the N1 freeway, all survived
• 16 Jun 1987 6884 AFB Ondangwa Bird struck right hand small window causing slight damage. Aircraft was flying at 80ft at 125 kts, all survived
• 9 Jul 1986 6889 all survived, no details
• 30 Apr 1986 44 Sqn Angola Hit by SA-7 while on a transport flight from a forward field to AFB Ondangwa. Rudder and most of elevators destroyed, but landed safely: all survived
• 23 May 1981 6878 Rand Airport Destroyed in fire during servicing.
• 25 Mar 1980 6851 South West Africa  3 killed
• 4 Aug 1972 6850 Near Swartkop 1 killed
• 3 Jul 1964 6875 Rand Airport Written-off after ground fire.
• 10 Feb 1961 6856 Near Bizana  5 killed
• 16 Jul 1953 6846 Rand Airport

Some Interesting DC3/C-47 facts:
The DC-3 has been known to do some impossible feats. Built to carry 21 passengers, one routinely carried 40 in the Philippines. On flights from Australia to New Guinea, Qantas rigged its DC-3s with slings and carried 50 people.

Another DC-3 carried 76 people out of war torn China, including 21 fully equipped Chinese soldiers, 15 women, 22 children, 15 Chinese civilians, the pilot, co-pilot, and Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, who was returning from the raid over Japan. They removed the seats (allowing for an additional 550 pounds of weight), and the passengers sat on each other’s lap, rode in the waist and forward mail compartments, and stood in the aisle. Doolittle remarked to the pilot that, if he had known he was crazy enough to take off with so many people he would have walked home. In later years Doolittle recalled, “I wasn’t worried about the number of people on board, I worried about running out of gas.”

In 1949, a DC-3 carried 93 people out of an earthquake-ravaged Bolivian village. Many were small children, but it is still a feat that defied the designer’s slide rule.

Twenty-five years later, the DC-3 broke its own record again. On March 23, 1975, a Continental Air Services DC-3 flew from Ku Lat, Vietnam to Saigon with 98 orphan children, five attendants, and three air crew, a total of 106 people.

Flying Hours
Eastern Airlines’ DC-3s accumulated 2,227,863 hours of flying time, logging 83,584,318 miles, the equivalent of 3,343 times around the world or the distance between the earth and moon, 350 times.
The first formal recognition the DC-3 had earned a permanent place in aviation history came with the installation of Eastern Airlines’ NC18124, into the Smithsonian Institution in 1952. This airplane had logged 56,758 hours flying 8 1/2 million miles between July 1937 and January 1952. It spent the equivalent of six and one half years in the air. That airplane is now on display in the National Air and Space Museum.
North Central’s N21728, “Old 728,” logged 84,875 hours before its retirement in May 1975. Eastern Airlines took delivery of N21728 on April 11, 1939. It logged 51,398 hours over a 13 year period, then Eastern sold it to North Central Airlines. It spent another 31,634 hours in scheduled service (through April 1965) and logged another 1843 hours (through 1975) as a VIP aircraft for North Central.
North Central estimates “728” spent more than 9 1/2 years in the air and covered over 12 million miles, the equivalent of 25 trips to the moon and back.
During its career, “Old 728” had 136 engine changes, its landing gear was replaced 550 times, and it used over 25,000 spark plugs, to burn eight million gallons of gasoline. This DC-3 had taxied more than 100,000 miles and carried 260 million passengers in its 36-years of service.

Although many “old timers” had their share of bumps and bruises, “Old 728” never suffered even a minor mishap. Today, it is sitting quietly at the Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, Michigan. Critics have said that everything but its shadow has been replaced. However this is not true. “Old 728′s” airframe was still 90 percent factory issue when it retired.

Currently the record is now held by N136PB, a privately owned Dak bought from PBA (Provincetown Boston Airlines) in 1993 by two men, Neil Rose and Bob Irvine, from Vancouver, Washington, bought the ship and flew it west. They have restored it to its original 1937 Eastern Air Lines configuration and livery. In August 1993, it had 91,400.2 hours on the airframe.13 It has been in the air the equivalent of more than 10 and a half years, and has a record only another DC-3 will ever match. Each day it flies it breaks its own record adding a little more to this insurmountable achievement

Len Morgan, a renowned aviator and writer said: ‘I came to admire this machine which could lift virtually any load strapped to its back and carry it anywhere in any weather, safely and dependably. The C-47 groaned, it protested, it rattled, it leaked oil, it ran hot, it ran cold, it ran rough, it staggered along on hot days and scared you half to death, its wings flexed and twisted in a horrifying manner, it sank back to earth with a great sigh of relief – but it flew and it flew and it flew.’